A Bedtime Story and Other Fluff
by emeraldgirl503
Summary: A series of Future!Klaine one-shots, set in the same future universe.
1. A Bedtime Story

"Granddaddy, can't you stay and tell us a bedtime story?" 5-year-old Nolan begged.

"I don't know, buddy. It's getting pretty late…" Blaine replied.

"The two princes story!" 3-year-old Keira demanded, cutting him off.

"Yeah! That's the best one!" Nolan agreed. "Come on!" He ran around the living room table, where the remains of their Candyland game were still spread out, and grabbed his granddaddy's hand, trying to pull him up off the floor and drag him toward the stairs.

"Grandpapa and I still have to get home," Blaine began explaining.

With a stubbornness they were all sure he had inherited from his granddaddy, Nolan refused to give up. "You can still go home after. Your car will still work then," he insisted.

Blaine laughed. "I know it will, silly, but it's getting pretty late. It's been a long day. I think Grandpapa and I are pretty tired."

"I'm fine," Kurt interjected from his perch on the couch opposite them. "If you want to stay a little longer…"

Blaine looked over and met Kurt's eyes. "Are you sure?"

Kurt nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Blaine was always so worried about him, ever since he had been hospitalized with a serious case of pneumonia a few months ago. Kurt had spent a week in the hospital, but he had recovered just fine. Blaine didn't seem to believe it, though. He was constantly trying to push Kurt out of places to drag him home, as if he was afraid Kurt would shatter if he spent too much time out in the world.

Nolan and Keira cheered. "Let's go!" Nolan shouted.

"Hold on. We have to ask your parents if it's okay," Blaine said.

Beth laughed. "Do you really think I'm going to say no to that, Dad?" she asked, looking at her two children, who were giving her their best puppy-dog faces.

"Hm, who taught them that trick, Blaine?" Kurt teased.

"I didn't teach them anything," Blaine protested.

"Maybe not directly," Beth said, "but trust me, I saw you give Papa enough of those looks growing up to learn their power on my own. I'm sure my kids have done the same."

"Ah, so that's where you got it from," Beth's husband Luke replied. He turned to look at Kurt. "Did you ever figure out how to say no?"

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry. You're doomed."

Luke sighed dramatically. "I was afraid of that."

Beth laughed and nudged him in the side. In reply, he squeezed her a little closer and gave her a quick kiss. Kurt and Blaine caught each other's eyes and smiled. They were always so happy to see their daughter so happy.

Beth looked over at the kids, who were squirming with impatience. "Granddaddy can stay and tell you a story, but…" she paused while the kids' cheers subsided "…you have to clean up the game and get ready for bed first."

"Okay, let's go, Keira!" Nolan urged. The two quickly threw the cards and pieces in the box. Nolan shoved the board on top and threw the cover over it, but because of how haphazardly they had thrown everything else in, the box wouldn't close. As the two siblings ran over to the shelf to put it away, cards spilled out of the sides.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. "Do they get half-credit for that?"

Beth shrugged. "Most nights I'd make them go back and pick them up, but I'll give them a pass tonight. It's hard to punish them for being excited to spend time with their grandparents."

Nolan and Keira raced back across the living room toward the stairs, not even noticing the card path strewn across the floor. Nolan started racing up the steps as fast as his legs could carry him. Keira, on the other hand, was still a little too short to make it up smoothly. Halfway up, Nolan stopped and looked back, dismayed that Keira was only about a quarter of the way. He raced back down and tried to help push her up the steps from behind. Blaine finally stood and followed them. When he caught up with his grandkids, he scooped Keira up and lifted her onto his shoulders.

"I'll be up in a minute," Beth yelled after them, as she and Luke got up to pick up the cards.

"It's okay. I've got it," Blaine shouted back, as he and Keira raced up the stairs after Nolan.

Thirty seconds later, a loud thump came from upstairs. "We're okay!" Blaine shouted almost immediately.

Kurt laughed. "Are you sure you trust him alone?" he asked, over the sound of little feet racing down the hallway.

"Hey, he didn't screw up too badly with me and Dalton. Well, at least with me. Dalton's another story," Beth teased.

"You're not allowed to make fun of your brother when he's not here," Kurt scolded. "And as far as not screwing you two up, that's only because I was there."

Beth scoffed. "Papa, don't kid yourself. Half the time, you were just as likely to get us into trouble as you were to punish us for it."

"But the other half of the time, it was Dad getting you into trouble, so it was my job to keep you in line," Kurt retorted with a smile.

Beth handed the last of the cards to Luke, who was rearranging the Candyland box on the shelf. She stood and walked over to Kurt and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You two were the best," she whispered.

Kurt smiled tenderly at her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "That's because we had two pretty great kids," he replied.

Beth smiled back and gave him one more kiss. Then she straightened and grabbed Luke's hand. "Come on. Let's go finish the dishes before the kids go to bed for a change."

"You really know what to say to drive a guy wild, don't you," Luke joked as he followed her into the kitchen.

Beth's reply was muffled as they disappeared into the kitchen. Kurt watched them go. If someone had told him nearly 50 years ago that he'd be sitting on his daughter's couch, listening to the cheerful sounds of his husband helping his grandkids get ready for bed, he wouldn't have believed you. Even 45 years ago, when he had agreed to marry Blaine, he couldn't possibly have imagined his life going this well. Those first few years of marriage had been so hard. They had been broke, tired, and busy all the time. There had been a lot of fights, a lot of yelling, a lot of worries. The only thing there had never been was regret. Even at their worst moments, Kurt had never once regretted saying yes to Blaine on that staircase. Maybe that's why they had made it through all the tough times, all the heartaches, all the struggles. They had always known that no matter how bad things were, they were better if they were together.

The squealing laughter of his granddaughter floated down the stairs and interrupted Kurt's musings. Kurt stood and headed for the stairs. Following the sound of his husband's voice, he turned toward Keira's room. Blaine was seated in the middle of the bed, with Keira and Nolan cuddled up beside him. Kurt leaned against the doorframe as Blaine started their favorite bedtime story.

"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there lived a young prince named Blaine. Although Blaine was a pretty happy guy, he had never really felt like he belonged. He had lots of great friends, but he still felt like someone was missing…"

Kurt smiled as Blaine continued the familiar story. He remembered all the nights he had come home late from work, exhausted and cranky, and found Blaine exactly the same way. Beth would be snuggled up to him, wide awake, hanging on his every word, while Dalton would be curled up against his other side, already sound asleep. Kurt would always stay just out of the room in the shadows of the hallway, trying to spy without being seen, so as not to interrupt the story, but Blaine always seemed to sense Kurt was there. Without missing a word, Blaine would glance up at Kurt and give him that same look he had been giving him since they were in high school. It was a look that said so much more than words could ever say, a look that communicated all the love in Blaine's heart. Without fail, it always made Kurt forget every negative thing he had been feeling. When Blaine would finish the story, Kurt would tiptoe in, give his children kisses, help Beth back to her room, and then drag Blaine down the hall to their room. Sometimes they would make love, but most of the time, they would undress, get into bed, and just cuddle and talk until they fell asleep.

The only difference now, aside from the obvious fact that they were at their daughter's house rather than their own, was the presence of a book to accompany the story. Five years ago, when Beth had been pregnant with Nolan and Kurt and Blaine had been preparing to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, Luke had come up with the idea of actually writing down the bedtime story his wife had told him so much about and turning it into a book. He had secretly contacted Blaine, and the two had worked together with an illustrator friend of Luke's. They had surprised Kurt and Beth with it at Christmas that year, as a joint baby-welcoming/anniversary gift. Three copies had been made: one for Kurt and Blaine, one for Luke and Beth, and one for Dalton. While Nolan and Keira had plenty of other books on their shelves, Kurt doubted any of them had been read as many times as that one.

Beth came up beside Kurt and stood with him in the doorway. "Oh, this is my favorite part, when they overcome the Infidelity Monster and decide to be together forever," she whispered.

"Mine too," Kurt replied. He reached out and wrapped an arm around his daughter, who leaned her head against his shoulder. "Mine too," he repeated more quietly, as the love of his life glanced up and gave him that same look he had all those years ago on that staircase in Ohio.


	2. An Autumn Day

[**Author's note: One reader, wavesuponatropicalshore, suggested I turn this into a universe of one-shots. Since I really enjoyed writing this story, I really liked that suggestion. These stories will not be directly connected, nor will they be in chronological order, unless I post otherwise, but they will all involve the same cast of characters. I hope you enjoy!**]

"Ooo, I want that one!" 8-year-old Beth said, pointing to the most misshapen, lumpiest pumpkin on the lot.

"Honey, are you sure? It's..."

"Ugly," Blaine muttered under his breath.

"We can't say ugly," Kurt whispered back, elbowing Blaine gently. "It's going to be hard to carve," he finished.

Beth scoffed. "I can do it, Papa," she insisted.

"Great, now you've challenged her," Blaine muttered again.

"If you had called it ugly, she just would have felt bad for it," Kurt replied quietly.

"Bethy, are you sure? We just got here," Blaine said. "Why don't we look around at other pumpkins before we make a decision?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Kurt agreed.

"No, I want this one, Daddy. It's the best one. I don't need to look at other ones."

Blaine sighed. "I tried."

"And I love you for it, but our daughter is far more stubborn than that," Kurt said, patting him lightly on the arm.

"A trait she gets from her papa, I think," Blaine teased as he followed 6-year-old Dalton over to another grouping of pumpkins. Kurt gave him an offended look, but mentally conceded that Blaine had a point.

Although the pumpkin probably weighed at least a solid fifteen pounds, Beth bent down and tried to lift it. Kurt bent over and grabbed it for her. "I can carry it, Papa," Beth argued.

"I know you can, but this way you can use both hands to help me pick out the best apples for apple pie," Kurt answered. From across the field, Blaine gave him a thumbs up and mouthed _Nicely done._

"Okay!" Beth replied enthusiastically, quickly skipping over to the crate of apples.

Thirty minutes later, Kurt and Beth had picked out apples, selected some decorative gourds, drank hot cider, and scoped out the corn maze. "Can't we go in, Papa?" Beth begged.

"We have to wait for Dalton to pick out his pumpkin first."

"But he's taking _forever_," Beth whined as they headed back to check on Dalton's progress.

This was a familiar refrain in the Hummel-Anderson household. While Beth was a constant bundle of hyper energy, pinging from one activity to the next, Dalton was contemplative and methodical. Kurt knew he wouldn't pick a pumpkin until he had carefully studied every single one on the lot.

They came up alongside Blaine and Dalton. "How's it going?" Kurt asked.

"We seem to have narrowed it down to something in this section, or something in that one. I think we're pretty close," Blaine said optimistically.

Beth stepped up next to her brother. "Did you pick one yet? Look at that one. That one's nice. You should get it. Then we can go in the corn maze!"

Dalton shook his head. "Not that one. It has a crooked stem."

"Who cares about the stem?" Beth moaned. "It doesn't even do anything! You don't carve the stem!"

Dalton ignored his sister and wandered back over to another section of pumpkins. Blaine shrugged and followed him.

"Papa, can't we just go in the maze without Dalton?"

"Beth, you know the rules. We all go in the maze together after you both pick out your pumpkins."

"But what if Dalton never picks out a pumpkin? What if we have to wait here for years and years until we die and turn into skeletons?"

Kurt's mouth twitched with laughter. "Then I guess we'll fit right in with the Halloween decorations."

Beth let out a heavy sigh. Kurt scanned the farm market, desperately trying to come up with another activity to distract her before she started getting cranky. Luckily, he was spared when Dalton and Blaine came walking back over. "That one, Daddy," Dalton said, pointing to a perfectly round pumpkin in the center of the row.

"Hallelujah," Kurt mumbled. Blaine winked as he leaned down to pick up the pumpkin.

"Hooray! Corn maze!" Beth shouted, taking off in that direction, Dalton close on her heels.

"Hold on, you two. Let Daddy pay for the pumpkin first!" Kurt shouted.

"I'll be fast," Blaine promised as Kurt jogged off after them.

Three minutes later, they found themselves in the corn maze. "How about that way?" Kurt suggested, as they retreated back to the nearest crossroads after hitting a dead-end.

Blaine shook his head with a patient smile, while Dalton rolled his eyes. "Papa, that's the way we got here," he explained.

"You have the worst sense of direction ever," Blaine teased, taking his hand as they followed the kids down another path.

"How am I supposed to know where we came from? It all looks exactly the same, and you three vetoed my idea of dropping breadcrumbs," Kurt protested.

Blaine laughed. "Go ahead, laugh all you want. When we get lost in here for hours and have to send up a signal flare for help, you're going to wish you had taken my suggestion," Kurt retorted.

Blaine leaned over and gave him a quick, smiling kiss. "Kurt, it's a small corn maze for children. We're not going to get lost for hours."

"Daddy, Papa! Look! We found the middle!" Beth shouted as they rounded a corner.

"Oh, God, that was only half of it?" Kurt said anxiously, looking back at the path they had taken.

"What is it with your unnatural fear of corn mazes?" Blaine wondered aloud as they followed their children across the big opening.

"I don't have an unnatural fear of corn mazes," Kurt protested. "I just have seen too many shows about people who go out for a casual drive and overconfidently think they know what they're doing until they take one wrong turn and end up spending the winter surviving on a diet of car tires and roadkill."

"Well, at least we'd have a lot of corn to get us through," Blaine observed with a teasing twinkle in his eye.

"You mock, but I bet there have been people who have gone into corn mazes, never to be seen again," Kurt replied.

"Don't worry," Blaine said with a grin, lowering his voice so it came out sounding deep and strong. "I'll get you out of here."

A few feet ahead of them, Beth danced impatiently in place. "Come on, you guys, hurry up!"

"Beth, they're old! They can't go as fast as us," Dalton explained.

Kurt let out a shocked laugh as Blaine growled. "Who're you calling old, kid?" he asked, letting go of Kurt's hand and racing toward the kids. Dalton squealed as he and Beth sprinted ahead of them, Blaine close on their heels.

_So much for getting me out of here, _Kurt thought as the three of them disappeared around a corner. He followed the sounds of their shouts and laughter until he hit the next crossroads. Was that Beth's laughter to his left? No, wait, Blaine's voice seemed to be coming from the path in front of him. Or was that Dalton's giggling echoing from his right?

Kurt turned in a circle, helplessly trying to pinpoint the sounds of his family. He really couldn't tell where they were. It was probably better to stay in place. Weren't they always saying if you got separated from others, you should stay put so someone would know where to find you? But... what if they didn't notice he was gone? Or worse, what if they did notice, but forgot the way back to him? He glanced around at the corn stalks. They'd probably make decent enough fuel for a fire, but how was he supposed to light one without a match? He probably should have taken some sort of survival training. Why didn't he keep a survival pack with him? At least it was relatively warm today. He probably wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death tonight, but…

"This way, guys!" Kurt heard Blaine's voice from just around the corner before he popped into view. Dalton and Beth came running up behind him.

"We came to rescue you, Papa!" Beth announced.

Dalton dashed forward and grabbed his hand. "Come on, Papa. We already found the way out." He tugged Kurt down the path they had come from. Astounded, Kurt couldn't figure out how he, Beth, and Blaine all seemed to remember the exact series of turns and paths to take. Did they all have a GPS embedded in their brains? How could they tell one direction from another?

In almost no time at all, they were at the exit. Kurt couldn't help the flood of relief he felt, and it was evident on his face. Blaine walked over and wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist. "I told you I'd get you out," he said.

Kurt glared at him. "Yeah, but first you abandoned me."

Blaine squeezed him in a quick hug. "I'm sorry. But we came back. We all survived."

"This time," Kurt muttered. "But when we get back to the city, I'm going to find survival training classes. I need to learn how to set a fire without matches. We should also probably start carrying survival kits whenever we leave the house. Nonperishable food, matches, blankets…"

Blaine cut him off with a kiss before they started following the kids back to the car. "I'm going to set some strict parental blocks on our TV when we get home. You're not allowed to watch survival shows anymore."

"But what if we get lost in the woods and need to get through the winter with just the clothing on our backs?" Kurt worried.

Blaine gave him an amused look. "Kurt, when was the last time either of us went anywhere near the woods?"

"There are those trees in Central Park…" Kurt began.

Blaine's smile was affectionately teasing. "I don't think we'd get permanently lost and require survival skills in Central Park."

"You never know. There could be a sudden freak snowstorm while we're in a wooded section, and we won't be able to find the path…"

"How about this?" Blaine offered, cutting him off. "We'll avoid the wooded sections of Central Park any time it's cold enough to snow, and then we should be safe."

Kurt bit his lower lip as he considered it. "I guess that could work. But I still want to at least order a survival book from Amazon. Remind me when I get home."

"Deal," Blaine said with a smile. "Now how about we get these kids of ours home so we can carve some pumpkins?"

Overhearing him, Beth and Dalton let out a cheer and scrambled into the car. As they drove back to the city, singing a medley of Halloween-themed songs, all Kurt's worries about survival training were forgotten, as he enjoyed the beautiful fall day with his family.


	3. A Rough Night

Kurt dragged his suitcase up the dingy back staircase of the apartment building. Ever since their neighbor had gotten caught in the elevator for 3 hours a month ago, Kurt had refused to go near the thing. Blaine had found it funny at first, until he had been stuck trying to help Kurt drag the stroller and both kids down 9 flights of stairs. At age 4, Beth was stubbornly independent and insisted on going down all by herself, and 2-year-old Dalton loved copying his big sister. Blaine had finally talked Kurt into taking the elevator if the kids were with them, but Kurt still avoided it as much as possible.

Kurt sighed as he saw the number on the door. Floor 6? He had to be higher than that. Had these stairs gotten taller since he'd left last week?

He sighed as he rounded the corner to ascend the last three flights to their floor. The apartment wasn't far now. He could stumble in, drop his stuff, maybe take a nice, hot bath, and then fall into bed. He'd texted Blaine when he'd finally landed, 6 hours late due to a cancelled flight and then some storms, so hopefully Blaine would have some leftover dinner ready for him. Blaine was usually pretty thoughtful that way.

Kurt was exhausted. Visiting Rachel in LA had sounded like a great idea a few months ago. When she'd called and invited him out to her first big movie premiere, Kurt had jumped at the opportunity to see his friend. Ever since she'd landed the role over a year ago and headed across the country, Kurt hadn't really seen her much. He had missed her. Although it had meant he'd be left home alone with the kids for a week, Blaine had encouraged Kurt to go. He'd assured Kurt that he could handle it. Kurt hated to admit that at the time, the idea of a child-free week had sounded like paradise.

While it had been great to see Rachel, the week had flown by in a whirlwind of activity. Kurt felt like he hadn't had a moment to catch his breath. Between all the sights Kurt had wanted to see, the parties and events Rachel had insisted he had to go to, and all the people she'd introduced him to in the hopes of helping him career-wise, Kurt didn't think he'd slept more than a few hours total. Add to that today's cancelled flight, which had left him scrambling at the airport to make other arrangements. He'd finally managed to angle his way onto another flight as a stand-by passenger, but he'd had to suffer through not one, but two layovers, in Dallas and DC, the latter of which had been extended because of delays caused by the thunderstorms that had greeted him when he had finally landed in NYC. The bad weather had made it nearly impossible to catch a cab, but he'd finally gotten one… apparently the only cautious cab driver in all of NYC, as it'd taken nearly twice as long to get home.

Yes, he'd definitely earned a nice, long bath.

Finally hitting the 9th floor, Kurt pulled open the hall door and made his way down the hall to their apartment. Of course his key had managed to bury itself under everything else in his bag, and the lock stuck, as it always did, so he was already frustrated when he pushed the door open… 6 inches, which was as far as it would apparently go.

Groaning in frustration, Kurt shoved against the door, and whatever was behind it gave way with a large crash. He stepped into the apartment and found the stroller toppled over onto what used to be the contents of a nearby bookshelf.

"Kurt, is that you?" Blaine shouted from down the hall.

Kurt was too distracted to answer. Kicking aside a few stray books, he pushed his way into the apartment and locked the door behind him. The room was a disaster, and not just from the bookshelf. Blankets were falling off the couches. Several DVDs were dropped in a pile on the floor in front of the TV. A tray of half-eaten food balanced on the edge of the coffee table.

Kurt could feel his anger rising. Sure, he and Blaine had both gotten a little more lax about cleaning and keeping things in perfect order since the kids had been born, but this was out of control. Blaine said he could handle a week on his own. This didn't look like handling to Kurt.

"Blaine, where are you?" Kurt shouted, trying to keep the anger out of his tone. He started to make his way down the hall to drop his suitcase in their bedroom. A huge pile of laundry sat in the corner, just piled on the floor. "Damn it, Blaine, we have a hamper!" Kurt cursed to himself. Knowing he was dangerously close to exploding, he followed the sound of noise to the bathroom, where he found Blaine squatting on the floor, bathing Beth.

Kurt checked his watch. "Blaine, it's almost 10 PM. She should have been in bed two hours ago," he snapped.

Blaine looked up from their daughter. "Really? I had no idea," he shot back sarcastically.

"Papa!" Beth shouted from the tub, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Hi, baby," Kurt said softly, giving her a smile. "What are you still doing up?"

"It's bath time," she answered, as if that explained everything.

"I see that." Kurt gave her another smile, then turned to his husband. "Please tell me Dalton's at least asleep."

"Yes, Dalton's asleep. Finally."

"What does that mean? Dalton never has any trouble falling asleep," Kurt argued.

Blaine gave him a dark look. "Look, why don't you just go check on him while I finish this up?" His tone was terse.

"Fine, but don't think you're not going to be explaining this once she's in bed," Kurt replied.

Blaine's look turned into a glare. "Don't even start with me, Kurt."

"Don't start with you? I'm supposed to just accept that it's 10 PM and our 4-year-old daughter is just getting her bath?" Kurt asked, his voice getting louder with anger.

"Yes, you are," Blaine almost growled. Before Kurt could answer, Blaine gave a pointed look at Beth.

"Fine. Later," Kurt huffed, then stormed out to go check on his son. The nightlight in the corner of the room illuminated Dalton's face, looking angelically peaceful in sleep. Kurt quietly crossed the room and adjusted the blankets to cover Dalton's foot, which had slipped out from underneath their warmth. Then he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Dalton's forehead and was surprised to find it warmer than usual. He started to slip his hand up along his son's brow when Blaine spoke quietly from the doorway behind him.

"He has a slight fever, but it's all under control," Blaine assured him.

"He has a fever? And you didn't tell me?" Kurt accused.

Blaine sighed. "I didn't really have time, Kurt," he said, sounding defeated. Kurt noticed the tired slump of his shoulders as he leaned against the doorframe. "Beth is ready to say goodnight, if you want to come tuck her in."

Kurt nodded and followed Blaine to the next room, where Beth was putting the final touches on her bedtime stuffed animal arrangement. "She has one too," Blaine murmured quietly as they stepped into the room.

Kurt glanced at him in surprise as Beth came barreling into his legs. "Papa, you're home!" she shouted happily.

Kurt swung her up into his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm home. I missed you, silly girl." He was glad Blaine had warned him about the fever, or he would have been alarmed when he noticed her skin was a little warmer to the touch than usual.

Beth sleepily rested her head on Kurt's shoulder. "We missed you too, Papa. Daddy especially."

Kurt shot Blaine a questioning look, and he shrugged in confusion.

"'Member, Daddy? Before when Dalton was crying and I was throwing up, you said, 'Kuuuuurt, why aren't you home yet?'" She lowered her voice to try to match her father's, then giggling with pride at her own imitation.

"You were throwing up?" Kurt asked, looking to Blaine for confirmation. He nodded.

"Yeah, but it's okay. Daddy thinks I threw up everything in my tummy, and I feel better now," she said on a yawn.

"Okay, baby girl, I think it's time to get you to bed," Blaine said, coming across the room as Kurt lowered Beth into her bed and pulled up the covers.

In a move that was unusual for Beth, she didn't immediately demand a bedtime story or song. Instead, her eyes blinked a few times before shuttering closed. "She's probably pretty tired," Blaine observed quietly.

Kurt leaned down and kissed their daughter, then stepped aside so Blaine could do the same. Then they stepped toward the door and flicked off the light. Beth's breathing was already deep and slow.

"What the hell is going on around here?" Kurt demanded as Blaine swung the door mostly closed behind them.

Blaine scrubbed his hands over his face, and Kurt noticed the exhaustion etched across Blaine's features. "Two days ago, Mrs. Grayson called in the morning and told me not to bring the kids, because she seemed to have come down with something," Blaine began as he headed toward the bedroom, where he picked up the pile of laundry and carried them toward the kitchen. "So I called out of work, spent the day here with them. Everything seemed fine."

When they reached the kitchen, Blaine headed for the small washer and dryer stacked in the corner. As he loaded the laundry in, he turned toward Kurt. "I forgot to ask if you were hungry. There's some leftover spaghetti in the fridge if you want it."

Kurt had forgotten about his hunger, but Blaine's words seemed to wake up his stomach, which gave a hungry rumble. When Blaine didn't continue, Kurt prompted, "Everything seemed fine, and then…?"

Blaine finished measuring out detergent. "Hm? Oh. Right. So everything seemed fine," he continued, walking through the open archway to the living room, where he collected the tray off the living room table, "until yesterday morning, when Beth woke up and said her tummy hurt. I didn't really think much of it. Mrs. Grayson still wasn't feeling well, so I called Neal from down the hall and asked if the kids could come over. When I got home from work, Neal said Beth had been really fussy and hadn't really eaten much, which we both know is unusual."

Blaine headed back into the kitchen and started cleaning the dishes in the sink while Kurt heated up the leftover pasta. "So I took Beth's temperature, and it was a little high. I called the pediatrician, who said to give her a little Tylenol for the fever and that he'd see her this morning." Blaine paused while he loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. "When the kids got up this morning, Dalton felt a little warm to me too, so I took his temperature also, and when it was high, I called the pediatrician's office and asked if I could bring them both in. They were both a little fussy, but we were doing okay until after breakfast."

The microwave beeped for Kurt's spaghetti, and he followed Blaine into the living room, where Blaine started straightening up. "Sorry I left the stroller behind the door," he apologized as he picked up the bookcase and began rearranging its contents. "That was during the insanity period this afternoon. Anyway, so shortly after breakfast, we were playing in Dalton's room when Beth announced she didn't feel very well, before puking all over her pajamas. I had just finished cleaning her up when Dalton threw up. Long story short, that was pretty much the rest of the day. We miraculously managed to make it to the doctor's without any catastrophes, probably because by that point both of them had thrown up the entire contents of their stomachs. The doctor said it was probably just a little virus, recommended taking it easy foodwise, and said to call if things got any worse. They didn't, but they didn't get much better either. I'll give you the abridged version and just say that there were about 6 loads of laundry and several baths today, which is how things got a little behind schedule tonight."

"Why didn't you call me?" Kurt demanded between bites of pasta.

"Because you were in an airport on the other side of the country. What were you going to do for me?" Blaine retorted.

"Well… nothing, but… I should know when my kids are sick!"

"Well, next time they're both puking their guts out, it'll be my pleasure to let you handle it all on your own. I'd love to see when you have time to pick up the phone," Blaine replied, an angry edge to his voice.

"Don't take out your frustrations on me, Blaine Hummel-Anderson! This isn't my fault!" Kurt shouted.

"Like you weren't taking your frustrations out on me from the minute you stepped in the door?" Blaine shot back.

"No, I wasn't!"

"You never even gave me a chance to explain, Kurt! You just jumped down my throat as soon as you saw Beth was still awake!"

Kurt struggled to come up with a response. He knew Blaine was right. He had been angry from the moment he had stepped in the apartment. Actually, that wasn't true. He had been angry before he even stepped in the apartment.

Kurt sighed, releasing the rest of his frustrations, and held out his hand to Blaine. "Alright, ceasefire. We both had pretty rough days. No need to wake up our sick kids while we beat each other up for them."

Blaine stacked the last of the DVDs back on the shelf, then crossed the room and took Kurt's hand. Locking their fingers, he sank onto the couch next to Kurt. "I bet your day didn't involve buckets full of vomit," he teased.

"Okay, you win," Kurt conceded, draping his arm around Blaine and pulling him into his side. He ran his fingers through Blaine's hair as Blaine let his head drop to Kurt's shoulder. "Sorry I wasn't here."

"Mm, wish you had been," Blaine murmured, trailing his fingers up Kurt's chest. "And not just to help clean up the vomit. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Kurt replied.

"Was Hollywood fabulous?"

"It was pretty great, but I'm glad to be back here."

Blaine gave him a weak, sleepy grin. "How's Rachel?" he said around a yawn.

"She's good," Kurt replied. "Better than you are right now. Come on. Let's get to bed."

"Still have some cleaning to do," Blaine mumbled. "Few more minutes."

"Anything that can't wait until tomorrow?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shook his head.

"In that case, I'm exhausted and so are you. Come on. Bedtime."

Without further protest, Blaine took his hand, followed him down the hall, and climbed into bed, where they curled up tightly in each other's arms and fell soundly asleep.


End file.
